NEW
BRITAIN—The New Britain Bees have been busy
attempting to gain the loyalty of former Bridgeport Bluefish fans, signing
several players who played with the ’Fish last season. And now, the Bees are
reviving another tradition formerly associated with the Park City—The Battle of the Sexes, an annual
exhibition game with the Stratford Brakettes, the former national champion
fast-pitch softball team based in Bridgeport’s neighboring town.
Just as its predecessors with the
Bluefish, the Battle of Sexes will be
a seven-inning affair, played under fast-pitch softball rules with shortened
outfield fences. This year’s exhibition will take place on Sunday, July 15, at
New Britain Stadium.
This will be the fifth Battle of the
Sexes, and the first with the Bees since the team formerly known as the
Bluefish bolted the Park City for parts unknown, and will be playing this year
entirely on the road (while the Ballpark at Harbor Yard remains vacant) until a
new state-of-the-art minor-league stadium is built for the team in High Point,
NC, for the 2019 season.
The history of Brakettes players
facing male professional players dates back to August 1961 when Brakettes ace
Joan Joyce faced the legendary Red Sox slugger Ted Williams in a charity event
in Waterbury… and struck out the Splendid Splinter! And for the record: the
Brakettes earned their first victory against the Bluefish last season, 2-0. The
Bluefish had previously earned victories in the teams’ first three meetings,
2-1, 7-3 and 3-1 in 2014, ’15 and ’16, respectively.
The Brakettes are the longest continuously
running fast-pitch softball team in the United States. They will begin their 72nd
consecutive season June 2 at their long-time home, Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame
Field in Stratford. Winners of 28 Amateur Softball Association (ASA) national
championships, the Brakettes have also captured seven Women's Major Softball national
championships and have produced 22 A.S.A. Hall of Famers and 13 Olympians.
Since 2010, the Brakettes have a 442-22 overall record, including 25
invitational tournament titles and a national record 168 game winning streak.
Manager John Stratton's club also had unbeaten seasons in 2011 (63-0) and 2013
(68-0). For additional information on the Brakettes, visit www.brakettes.com.
“This is a fun, exciting and unique
opportunity that offers something special for all fans in this region,” said
Bees General Manager Brad Smith. “The Bees are pleased to team up with the
Brakettes and look forward to the first of hopefully many Battle of the Sexes
games at New Britain Stadium.”
First pitch in The Battle of the
Sexes will be at 7 p.m. on July 15, with gates opening at New Britain Stadium
at 6 p.m. Field Box tickets are $11, Box seats are $10,
and Bleacher tickets will be $8. For
more ticket information, or to purchase tickets online, please click HERE.
There will also be special group and suite rental rates. For more information,
call a Bees representative at 860-626-BEES (2337), or visit www.NBBees.com.
The Bees are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, widely
regarded as the top independent (i.e. unaffiliated with any MLB organization)
league in the country. Throughout its 20-year history, over 900 Atlantic League
players and 50 Atlantic League managers have joined Major League organizations.
In addition, over 38 million fans have attended Atlantic League games since its
inception in 1998. For more information on the Atlantic League, visit http://www.atlanticleague.com.
—Staff Reports
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